A former I'm A Celeb campmate has lifted the lid on what it's really like in the jungle - including "psychological" trials which are "even worse than they look on TV". Rapper Aggro Santos, 33, appeared on the tenth series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here and placed fifth overall, spending 19 days in camp.
Then 21, he participated in several gruesome trials on the 2010 series and said some of them really are "even worse" than they seem. Aggro disclosed what it's really like in the camp in the Australian Outback - including "genuinely scary" trials.
He faced one similar to Matt Hancock's where he was "buried alive" - and said the psychological challenge is even harder than it looks on screen. He revealed campmates' hunger is "terrible" and said they would be given electrolytes in their water if it made them too drained to stay awake.
Aggro, from south west London, said: "I don't think anything on the show has changed since I went on it. But there's definitely a bigger buzz around it this year, thanks to Matt Hancock. Some people don't think it is, but it's definitely as hard as it looks on TV."
Aggro appeared on the show alongside characters such as singer Shaun Ryder, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond and X-Factor star Stacey Soloman, who won the show. One of the trials Aggro did involved being 'buried alive' - similar to one Matt Hancock attempted on the current series.
Viewers speculate the challenges are more sympathetic than they seem - but Aggro insists it's not the case. He found the trials were actually "very psychological" - which makes them so difficult. He revealed when a celebrity crosses the bridge to do a trial, they are met at the other side and blindfolded before being taken to do the trial in a buggy.
He said: "You're in the middle of the jungle with no idea where you are - they don't need to blindfold you. It's to shake you up before the trial so the audience see genuine fear."
Speaking of the trial he did where he was 'buried alive' - put in a coffin-shaped underground hole which is then topped with sand - he said it "looks less bad on TV" than in real life. He explained that layering the sand on top of the box takes five to 10 minutes - and the same to get back out again.
He said: "If you're claustrophobic it's a difficult challenge. They could have just closed the lid, but they put all the sand on top too - so when you're in there, you know it's not easy to get you out. There's no secret escape."
Aggro set the record straight about what the food is really like in camp and said the celebs survive on the "absolute bare minimum". Aggro claimed they don't get anything else to eat apart from the one portion of rice and beans they get and whatever meat is won at trials.
He said: "That little tin you get, that's it. The portion is less than what you could fit in a container from a Chinese takeaway. Everything is so bland too. You just drink water and plain food - not even any salt and pepper."
Aggro revealed that in his year, a campmate managed to smuggle in herbs and spices. But he said the producers worked out what was going on - because the celebs were commenting on how good the food tasted.
He said: "There really isn't much food at all. When you're sat in there in the day, you're thinking about food the majority of the time.
"When you get really drained from hunger, sometimes the staff would add electrolytes to your water to give you a bit of a kick. That's how little food you have."
And more than a decade on from his appearance on the show, Aggro revealed he still keeps in occasional contact with some former campmates. TV presenter Alison Hammond, actress Britt Ekland and sprinter Linford Christie are still in his contacts book and on social media.
Based on this year's contestants, Aggro's putting his money on Lioness Jill Scott to become queen of the jungle. He predicts the runner-up will be England rugby legend Mike Tindall.
